Cord retractor for electric iron

ABSTRACT

An electric iron cord retractor for keeping the power cord out of the way of the iron operator. A pulley for supporting the cord is held above the ironing board by a vertical arm which attaches to the ironing board on its underside, thereby leaving the surface of the ironing board unobstructed. The cord is held in tension by a weight attached to it between the pulley and the floor. The position of the arm may be changed so that it is parallel to and underneath the plane of the ironing surface when not in use. The arm is secured by a clamp assembly which attaches adhesively to the underneath sides of the ironing surface and provides for the two selective positions of the arm.

United States Patent 91 1111 3,866,869

Woods Feb. 18, 1975 [54] CORD RETRACTOR FOR ELECTRIC IRON 2,543,239 2/1951 Gross "248 /51 [76] ln fin orz Carroll E. woods, 636 SIE. 3,409,257 11/1968 Elm 248/205 A X Fieldcrest Ave., Milwaukee, Oreg. FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 97206 273,304 8/1928 Great Britain 248/51 [22] Filed Oct 9 1973 458,586 7/1926 Germany 248/51 Primary ExaminerRoy D. Frazier- Assistant ExaminerRodney H. Bonck Attorney, Agent, or FirmChernoff & Vilhauer [52] US. Cl 248/51, 248/55, 248/207, 248/225 51 Int. Cl F161 3/00 1 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 248/51, 55, 207, 205 A, An electric iron cord retractor for keeping the power 248/225; 38/142; 191/12 R, 12 S, 12.4; cord out of the way of the iron operator. A pulley for 16/209; 43/44.89 supporting the cord is held above the ironing board by a vertical arm which attaches to the ironing board on [56] References Cited its underside, thereby leaving the surface of the iron- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing board unobstructed. The cord is held in tension by 399,866 3/1889 Gage 43/4489 a weght atta9led to between the Pulley and the 1,107,311 8/1914 248/207 floor. The position of the arm may be changed so that 1,199,553 9/1916 Hogan 24 7 it is parallel to and underneath the plane of the ironing 1,522,684 1/1925 Howard.... 248/51 X surface when notin use. The arm'is secured by a 1,566,655 12/1925 David 248/51 clamp assembly which attaches adhesively to the un- 2.254.955 9/19 e 248/51 derneath sides of the ironing surface and provides for 2,471,312 5/1949 Corbliss 248/51 h two selective positions of the 2,504,005 4/1950 Davis 248/51 X i 2,506,246 5/1950 Stovers 248/51 C 6 Drawmg Flgures FATENTED FEB] 8I975 CORD RETRACTOR FOR ELECTRIC IRON BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a cord retractor for an electric iron.

In the use of electric irons to press clothes and fabrics the power cord leading from the electrical outlet to the iron frequently impedes the work of the operator by its annoying tendency to lay across the clothes during ironing thereby wrinkling the clothes and interfering with the free movement of the iron. This condition makes the operators task much more difficult and timeconsuming since it requires the operator to manipulate an additional object, i.e., the cord. More importantly, the cord creates a safety hazard in that the insulation surrounding the electric conductors may be damaged by contact with the hot iron and fabrics which are being ironed may be burned while the operator is manipulating the cord.

Electric iron cord retractors have been designed in the past to eliminate the aforementioned problems, but they are inconvenient to use. One general type of prior art retractor employs the force of a spring for placing the cord in tension when the operator pulls on the iron. The retracting tension is produced either by a coiled torsional spring, as in Davis US. Pat. No. 2,270,997, or

alternatively by placing a spring in tension by bending. A major drawback of such retractors is that the tension on the cord increases with the degree to which the spring is twisted or bent, as the case may be. Thus the operator must exert a greater force on the iron when the cord is more fully extended than when the cord is extended very little. In addition, when the cord is extended substantially and the iron is set upright temporarily, as is necessary to manipulate the fabric being pressed, the greater spring force tends to pull the iron off balance.

Some retractors have been designed which use a pulleyweight system, thereby providing constant tension on the cord regardless of its degree of extension, but other problems are encountered with these devices. In some cases, as shown for example in the'LaPastora U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,030, Howard US. Pat. No. 1,522,684 and Robinson U.S. Pat No. 2,680,789, the iron cord is not held high enough above the pressing surface and thus tends to catch on bulky fabrics and wrinkle the clothing during the ironing process. In other cases, such as in Aab US. Pat. No. 2,444,800 and Corbliss US. Pat. No. 2,471,312, the pulley mechanism permits inadequate transverse angular movement of the cord hampering operation of the retractor when the iron is not manipulated directly in front of the pulley. Also too much space is frequently taken up on the-surface of the ironing board by the retracting devices or their attaching clamps, as is the case for example particularly with the Aab, Corbliss and LaPastora devices.

Another problem which arises with such prior art cord retractors is that storage of the ironing board and retractor is difficult. In some cases it is inconvenient to remove the cord from the retractor. In other cases the retractor must be detached and stored separately from the ironing board. As a consequence of the above drawbacks, previous iron cord retractors have generally been inconvenient to use.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION The present invention overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies of previous electric iron cord retractors by utilizing a pulley-weight retractor system which is designed for maximum convenience to the operator. A pulley which has an open top is provided so that the cord may easily be placed upon it and thereafter removed when the ironing is finished. A pair of high side flanges prevent the cord from falling off the pulley when in use. The pulley is attached to the top of a retractor arm so as to swivel about the longitudinal axis of the arm, the arm being long enough to hold the pulley high and away from the top of the ironing surface when the arm is in its vertical operative position. The bottom of the arm attaches in either of two positions to a special clamp which is fastened by a doublesided adhesive, or alternatively by screws, solely to the underside of the ironing suface. In one position the clamp holds the arm and pulley mechanism operatively upright at the end of the ironing board. In the second position the clamp holds the arm parallel to and beneath the ironing surface for storage. Cord tension is provided by a weight which conveniently attaches to the cord at a location above the floor between the pulley mechanism and the source of electricity, normally a household outlet.

The pulley-weight system provides a constant tension on the cord which is sufficient to retract the cord promptly as necessary while the iron is moved about but insufficient to causethe iron to topple over when set upright temporarily regardless of the placement of the iron. The arm simultaneously holds the cord out of contact with the ironing surface. Smooth lateral movement of the iron and cord is permitted by the swivel attachment between the pulley and the arm without hampering the operation of the retractor. The entire retractor attaches completely to the underside of the ironing board, thereby eliminating any obstruction on the ironing surface, and the cord is easily attachable or removable from the pulley system. Finally, the retractor provides a second position so that the arm and pulley system may be stored conveniently with the ironing board.

It is therefore a principal objective of the present invention to provide a novel and improved apparatus for conveniently retracting an electric iron cord.

It is a further principal objective of the present invention to provide such a retractor having a pulley-weight mechanism which puts constant tension on the iron cord and holds the cord high and away from the ironing surface while facilitating full lateral movement of the iron and cord.

It is a further objective of the invention to provide a retractor mechanism which attaches entirely to the underside of the ironing surface.

It is a still further objective of the invention to provide a second position of the retractor mechanism for convenient storage of the mechanism along with the ironing board.

The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view illustrating the electric iron cord retractor mechanism in its operative position on an ironing board.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom view of the clamp bywhich the retractor arm is fastened to the ironing board taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, with the alternate stored position of the arm shown in phantom.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the clamp taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged end view of the pulley mounted on the retractor arm, taken along line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the weight shown prior to its attachment to the cord.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the weight fastened to the cord.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1, the cord retractor mechanism generally indicated as 10 is secured to the end of the ironing board 12 on the underside of the ironing surface 14 by a clamp mechanism 16 which is attached to the ironing board by a doublesided adhesive 18 as shown in FIG. 3. (If the board 12 is constructed of wood rather than metal as shown, it may be desirable to use screws or bolts forfastening the clamp rather than an adhesive.) This mounting arrangement leaves the ironing surface of the board 12 entirely free and unobstructed. An electric iron cord 20, supplying electricity to an iron 22, rests upon a pulley 24 and is held in tension by a weight 26 attached to the cord at a location above the floor between the pulley 24 and a household electrical outlet 28. The weight 26, under the influence of gravity, exerts a constant force on cord 20 thus keeping the cord in constant tension regardless of the position of iron 22.

The pulley 24 is equipped with a pair of high side flanges 30 (preferably at least 1 inch above the pulley axis) as shown in FIG. 4 for retaining the cord on the pulley, and is mounted by a swivel 32 for lateral pivoting atop a vertical arm 34. The arm 34 has a rearward bend 36 at the bottom, for permitting the free vertical drop of the cord 20, and is attached to an elongate square support member 38 which fits in the clamp mechanism 16 and is secured by a tightening knob 40.

Referring to FIG. 2, the body of the clamp mechanism 16 consists of a block 42 made of acrylic plastic, metal or other suitable material. A square aperture 44 passes from the middle of one side of the block through its center to the opposite side, such aperture being sized so as to slidably accept the member 38 in a loose mating fit. A second identical square aperture 46 passes through the block at right angles to aperture 44, the two intersecting at the center of the block. A knob 40 is attached to a threaded rod 48 which screws into the block 42 at the intersection of the two apertures.

The square member 38 may be inserted interchangeably in either aperture 44 or 46 and secured by turning knob 40 so that the end of the threaded rod 48 presses against the member 38. This permits the retractor mechanism to fit either into the upright operating position or alternatively in the storage position beneath and parallel to the ironing surface as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2. It should be noted that since most metal ironing boards contain a downwardly projectingv peripheral flange such as 50, it is necessary that the distance between the top of the apertures 44, 46 and the top of the block 42 be sufficient to permit the square support member 38 to clear the bottom of the flange 50 when the retractor is in its operative position.

An exemplary metal weight 26 with tabs 52 which can be bent tightly around the cord 20 for securing the weight to the cord is shown in FIG. 5. preferably the weight comprises approximately three ounces of lead pre-formed in the shape as shown for facility in clamping the weight to the cord in the manner depicted in FIG. 6. The weight should be placed so as to remain between the pulley and the floor through all extremes of movement of the iron 22.

When the iron cord retractor 10 is in its upright operating position, the cord 20 rests on the pulley 24 and rides freely over it. Since the use of the retractor l0 probably prevents the cord from reaching a normal household outlet, the addition of an extension cord 54 will very likely be necessary. As the operator moves the iron 22 away from the retractor 10 while ironing fabric, the cord 20 glides over the pulley 24 pulling the weight 26 up. Similarly, as the operator moves the iron toward the retractor the weight 26 pulls the cord down, taking up slack. The vertical arm 34 continually holds the cord far above the ironing surface. If the operator moves the iron from side to side, the pulley 24 pivots laterally on the swivel 32 permitting the cord 20 also to move easily from side to side while the side flanges 30 prevent the cord from falling off the pulley 24. When the operator is finished, the cord 20 simply lifts off the pulley 24 and the retractor 10 may be placed in its storage position. In this manner the components operate harmoniously to keep the electric power cord from hindering the iron operator and provide a convenient means of storing the retractor along with the ironing board.

Although an exemplary apparatus and application have been disclosed and discussed, it should be understood that the embodiment shown is not set forth as a limitation on the scope of the invention since other applications and mechanicalconfigurations may also utilize the concepts and principles of this invention. Accordingly the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing abstract and specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. A retractor apparatus adapted for mounting on an ironing board supported above a floor for retracting an electric iron cord which comprises:

a. a pulley having a pair of outer rims disposed on the respective sides thereof for supporting the cord;

a pair of outwardly-flared side flanges adjacent either side of said pulley for preventing the cord from slipping off of said pulley, said flanges being higher than the respective outer rims of said pulley and defining an open-topped slot-like receptacle for placement of the iron cord, the space directly above said pulley being free of any member attached to said retractor apparatus;

c. an elongate arm adapted to be mounted in an upright position on said ironing board having means at its top for supporting said pulley a distance above the ironing surface of said ironing board so as to prevent the cord from contacting the ironing surface, and having an elongate square member at its bottom extending generally at a right angle therefrom;

d. means adapted to be attached to the cord at a location between said pulley and the floor for weighting the cord;

e. a clamp adapted to be attached solely to the underside of said ironing surface for detachably holding said arm selectively either in said upright position or in a second position parallel to and on the underside of said ironing surface, said clamp comprising means defining two elongate square apertures intersecting one another at right angles adapted to slidably accept said elongate square member and a threaded rod with a manual turning knob attached to one end thereof screwed into said clamp mechanism so as to communicate with the intersection of said apertures and adapted to be tightened against said elongate square member when said member is inserted in either of said apertures, for permitting said arm to be changed from one of said positions to the other solely by the detachment and reattachment of said arm to said clamp; and

f. means for attaching said clamp to the underside of said ironing surface.

2. The retracting apparatus of claim 1 including swivel means attaching said pulley to the top of said arm for permitting lateral pivoting of said pulley with respect to said arm.

3. The retracting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for weighting the cord comprises a weight having tabs adapted to be bent around the cord to attach said weight thereto.

4. An apparatus adapted for mounting on an ironing board for retracting an electric iron cord which comprises:

a. an elongate arm adapted to be mounted in an upright position on said ironing board, said arm including an elongate member fixedly attached to the bottom of said arm and extending generally at a right angle therefrom;

b. means mounted on the top of said arm for supporting said iron cord a distance above the ironing surface of said ironing board so as to prevent the cord from contacting the ironing surface;

c. a clamp for detachably holding said arm selectively either in said upright position or in a second position parallel to and on the underside of said ironing surface, said clamp comprising means defining two elongate apertures intersecting one another at right angles adapted to slidably accept said elongate member and a threaded rod with a manual turning knob attached to one end therof screwed into said clamp mechanism adjacent the intersection of said apertures so as to exert pressure, when tightened, against said elongate member when said member is inserted in either of said apertures, for permitting said arm to be changed from one of said positions to the other solely by the detachment and reattachment of said arm to said clamp; and

d. means on said clamp for attaching said clamp to I the underside of said ironing surface so that said elongate apertures intersect in a plane parallel to said ironing surface.

5. The retracting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said clamp comprises a body having a top surface engagable with the underside of said ironing surface and including therein said elongate apertures, said apertures being disposed a predetermined distance below said top surface of said body for holding said elongate member a predetermined distance below the underside of said ironing surface.

6. The retracting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for attaching said clamp comprises a double sided adhesive adapted to adhere both to said clamp and to the underside of said ironing surface.

7. The retracting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said arm, when in its upright position, is bent slightly outwardly from said ironing surface to permit the free vertical drop of the iron cord.

- l= =l l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PATENT NO. 3,866,869

D E I February 18, 1975 INVENTOR( 1 Carroll E. Woods It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below; 4

In the identification of the inventors: Change "Milwaukee" to v -Milwaukie-.

Abstract, Line 12 Change "sides" to -side-,

Col. l, Line 13 Change 'timeconsuming" to --time-consuming--;

Lines 38, 39 Change "pulleyweight" to pulley-weight-.

Col. 3, Line 20 Change "doublesided" to double-sided--.

Col. 4, Line 3 Change "preferably" to Preferably-.

Col. 6, Line 12 Change "therof" to --thereof-.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of April 1975.

(SEAL) Attest c. MARSHALL DANN RUTH C. MASON Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer and Trademarks 

1. A retractor apparatus adapted for mounting on an ironing board supported above a floor for retracting an electric iron cord which comprises: a. a pulley having a pair of outer rims disposed on the respective sides thereof for supporting the cord; b. a pair of outwardly-flared side flanges adjacent either side of said pulley for preventing the cord from slipping off of said pulley, said flanges being higher than the respective outer rims of said pulley and defining an open-topped slot-like receptacle for placement of the iron cord, the space directly above said pulley being free of any member attached to said retractor apparatus; c. an elongate arm adapted to be mounted in an upright position on said ironing board having means at its top for supporting said pulley a distance above the ironing surface of said ironing board so as to prevent the cord from contacting the ironing surface, and having an elongate square member at its bottom extending generally at a right angle therefrom; d. means adapted to be attached to the cord at a location between said pulley and the floor for weighting the cord; e. a clamp adapted to be attached solely to the underside of said ironing surface for detachably holding said arm selectively either in said upright position or in a second position parallel to and on the underside of said ironing surface, said clamp comprising means defining two elongate square apertures intersecting one another at right angles adapted to slidably accept said elongate square member and a threaded rod with a manual turning knob attached to one end thereof screwed into said clamp mechanism so as to communicate with the intersection of said apertures and adapted to be tightened against said elongate square member when said member is inserted in either of said apertures, for permitting said arm to be changed from one of said positions to the other solely by the detachment and re-attachment of said arm to said clamp; and f. means foR attaching said clamp to the underside of said ironing surface.
 2. The retracting apparatus of claim 1 including swivel means attaching said pulley to the top of said arm for permitting lateral pivoting of said pulley with respect to said arm.
 3. The retracting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said means for weighting the cord comprises a weight having tabs adapted to be bent around the cord to attach said weight thereto.
 4. An apparatus adapted for mounting on an ironing board for retracting an electric iron cord which comprises: a. an elongate arm adapted to be mounted in an upright position on said ironing board, said arm including an elongate member fixedly attached to the bottom of said arm and extending generally at a right angle therefrom; b. means mounted on the top of said arm for supporting said iron cord a distance above the ironing surface of said ironing board so as to prevent the cord from contacting the ironing surface; c. a clamp for detachably holding said arm selectively either in said upright position or in a second position parallel to and on the underside of said ironing surface, said clamp comprising means defining two elongate apertures intersecting one another at right angles adapted to slidably accept said elongate member and a threaded rod with a manual turning knob attached to one end therof screwed into said clamp mechanism adjacent the intersection of said apertures so as to exert pressure, when tightened, against said elongate member when said member is inserted in either of said apertures, for permitting said arm to be changed from one of said positions to the other solely by the detachment and re-attachment of said arm to said clamp; and d. means on said clamp for attaching said clamp to the underside of said ironing surface so that said elongate apertures intersect in a plane parallel to said ironing surface.
 5. The retracting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said clamp comprises a body having a top surface engagable with the underside of said ironing surface and including therein said elongate apertures, said apertures being disposed a predetermined distance below said top surface of said body for holding said elongate member a predetermined distance below the underside of said ironing surface.
 6. The retracting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said means for attaching said clamp comprises a double sided adhesive adapted to adhere both to said clamp and to the underside of said ironing surface.
 7. The retracting apparatus of claim 4 wherein said arm, when in its upright position, is bent slightly outwardly from said ironing surface to permit the free vertical drop of the iron cord. 